In midfield, Coach Plabst is spoiled for choice, only the backside is a little pinched.
The SE Freising in the form check.
Freising
- It has been almost seven months since the SE Freising footballers played their last official game.
It was a 1-1 draw at ASV Dachau on March 7th.
The hopes were high that the forced Corona break would be short-lived - what followed is well known.
Now the SEF should also start - with an away game on Saturday afternoon at TSV Waldkirchen.
"It's a different Waldkirchen than we know it from the first half of the season," warns Freising's coach Alex Plabst.
What's in it for his national league team after many weeks of more or less unusual preparation?
The FT took a look at the individual parts of the team.
gate
The worst case occurred in preparation: Patrick Negele, Freising's undisputed number one between the posts, injured his shoulder.
For a long time it was not clear when the PE teacher would return.
Because his substitute Boris Hrvacanin, undoubtedly talented, can only train to a limited extent for professional reasons, Plabst organized a temporary replacement: Maxi Oswald, a national league-proven keeper, played on trial.
In the end, the SEF coach had to make a decision - and spoke out against Oswald.
Because Negele reported fit again, he slips into the starting eleven to restart.
And because Oswald would have cost a transfer.
“He would have just sat on the bench,” says Plabst.
“That would have been unsatisfactory for both sides.” So Negele remains number one in the lark fields, Hrvacanin is his replacement.
Defense
On the defensive there is currently a bit of pressure on the shoe - the back four should at least almost line up by itself until winter.
Captain Andi Schredl is there anyway and not just one of the leaders by armband.
Michi Schmid is already 35, but will show some boys a lot in terms of motivation, tactical understanding and commitment.
The right wing goes to Osaro Aiteniora.
The "Mister Reliable" - besides Schredl - was the only one to have completed all 23 league games so far, the 26-year-old Nigerian made all wingers desperate.
Aiteniora calmly dusts everything off at the back, but he also repeatedly interferes in the offensive.
The last position will be exciting - because Plabst has several alternatives: Will one of the young players - Fabian Löw, Lukas Ederer or Florian Härtel - get the chance?
Or does Plabst bet on “one of my best horses in the stable”, as the coach says, namely Vitus Kirchberger?
The home grown was injured, but recently trained again without symptoms.
Basti Hofmaier will certainly be absent until winter: The central defender is still suffering from a syndesmosis ligament injury.
midfield
Alex Plabst is spoiled for choice in midfield, especially in the central positions.
(Almost) all players played an excellent preparation, whether Florian Schmuckermeier, Freising's fine technician, or Jonas Mayr, the fighter in midfield.
The coach can hardly do without Daniel Zanker after an extremely strong preparation and an almost even better first half of the season.
Only on the outside lanes has the allocation of positions been completed: Both returnees Andi Manhart and Nikolai Davydov were something like the SEF's life insurance in the test games.
22-year-old Davydov alone scored six goals in four auditions.
The remaining three (or two in a system with two attackers) free places in the main eleven should be filled by Plabst depending on the training enthusiasm and opponents.
Domagoj Tiric is more for the physical match, Berin Brzovic for the creative.
Good for Plabst: Robert Rohrhirsch returned from the hospital surprisingly early.
And also in the midfield, young wild ones push from behind.
A coach who has such a midfield can consider himself lucky.
Storm
Make one or two out of three - that will be Plabst's task for the next few weeks.
Three attackers are available to the lark fields - and when he is fit, "there is no way around Andreas Hohlenburger", the coach points out.
The 34-goal man last season has not played a competitive game for twelve months.
It is questionable whether it will be enough for the starting XI.
In addition, Daniel Gädke, who had to struggle with a few tactical and playful problems in the previous year, made his attendance with a strong preparation (three goals), literally pushing into the first team.
The promise of the future at SE Freising is Luka Brudtloff.
Although only 17, the youngster convinced the head coach so much that he immediately assigned him to the men's regional league.
Conclusion
The SEF earns five out of six form check balls if it takes the momentum of preparation with it and shuts down the smaller construction sites that the test matches revealed. The pressing against the ball has to be even more compelling, even in the game forward the team was sometimes lacking the cleverness. But if the yellow-blacks get into a run, you can count on the SEF. And the Corona period in particular, as a look at the Bundesliga and Champions League has shown, is good for many surprises. The cohesion of the team could be decisive - and that fits the SEF, a sworn troop, for years.
